Air and Water Make Clouds
by bjorkChild
Summary: A collection of Avatar shorts and oneshots, dedicated to my favorite pairing on the show, Aang and Katara!Different couplings will be included as well as different POVs. Some stories will contain ellicit content: fair warnings will be given.3 STORIES UP
1. Silent Dreams

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Avatar. I don't know if I would either- I wouldn't do justice to the show.

**A/N: **Alright, so I thought about it a little more, and have decided to revise this fanfic! I'm going to turn this into a collection of short little one-shots dedicated to the loving AangxKatara pairing! I also thought, yes, my previous statement about American-anime _was_ a bit broad, but in more ways than one, I still go by it. I don't like American-Anime, in general. Avatar became an exception. And, don't get me wrong, I know a LOT of Japanese-anime that is crappy, so no, I don't automatically think that all Japanese Anime is better ) I just kinda think we're copying them (the STYLE and mannerisms, not the concept of animation…). But anyways, yes, Avatar is one of my favorite shows, and it always will be- unless the series gets destroyed (knock on wood!) Anyways, here is it- the first is "Silent Dreams", which I've revised a bit. The first half is all the same- but I've changed the latter half up. The rest will come later. Enjoy!

**Silent Dreams**

_He was swimming through nothingness. He couldn't remember how he had gotten there, or if he would ever get out. All he knew was that it was freezing- the air from his lungs was slowly seeping out, crushed underneath this weight he couldn't fathom. The cold was unbearable. He wanted to scream, but it was useless- no one could hear him. All that would escape from his mouth would be bubbles, concealing his cries and masking them in their prismatic cells. In the horizon he could see a body- a silhouette of majesty, clothed in robes and ornamental pieces, tall and mighty. _

_It was an Avatar._

_He slowly made his way toward the figure- his imminent destiny. Entities began to swirl around him, creatures of different colors, with soulful and ethereal eyes. One was silver, another blue, then green, and finally red. They looked like birds almost to him, singing softly in their angelic tones, curling intricately around his limbs and torso. They were aiding him in his journey to the figure in the distance, but no matter how far he swam, the more distant the figure grew. Hope was slowly being drained from him; he couldn't reach it! No matter how hard he tried, or how long he swam, he couldn't reach his goal. All hope and life was nearly gone, until he looked up and light seared his eyes. Another golden creature, though completely different than the others, swam up in front of him. Its eyes seemed to smile at him, as its light began to eat the nothingness around him. Slowly, it reached out its hand toward him, and he took it. He knew this creature would aid him. As soon as his fingers touched it, they were engulfed in a furious flash of Light. _

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Aang slowly opened his eyes, and the familiar campsite played out before him. Instead of yawning wildly like he always does when he wakes up (one of many of his last-ditch efforts to remain a child in this unforgiving world) he remained quiet, listening to the sounds of the dark and the insects going about their business, unaware of the events going on in the macroscopic world. Aang silently rolled onto his back, the night sky opening wildly out before him. He studied the stars and picked out constellations, relishing the quiet and taking time to mull over his thoughts.

He'd had this dream now almost every night. It was the same thing, every time, and he was still trying to make sense of it. He hadn't told Sokka or Katara about it, for fear of them worrying it was some premonition, even though the young Avatar knew what it really was. It wasn't a vision at all- just a product of his thoughts. He could analyze ever second of it.

The figure in the background was the symbol for an Avatar- Aang's destiny. He knew that. The nothingness he swam through was probably reminiscent of the ocean he was trapped in for a hundred years. The creatures that aided him were the elements- the silver one was Air, the blue Water, green was Earth, and red had to be Fire. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't reach the Avatar, which reflected his fears of not being able to complete his destiny. He knew all that. It was a relative Avatar's Nightmare he was having.

What he didn't understand, however, was the golden creature. That had always been there to help him in the end, but he couldn't figure out what it was. Was it another element? He couldn't imagine what other element that could be bended. That was the only other thing it could be, and he would soon find out what element it could be. Unless….the creature was a person.

He was brought back to reality by a loud snore; he turned over and saw Sokka noisily fussing around in his sleep. After a moment it passed, and he fell back into submission. Aang stifled a snicker, and turned onto his other side. Appa was off in the distance; a deep rumbling told him the bison was asleep. He then saw Momo curled up in a ball on Appa's head, his chest rising and falling with each breath. Aang smiled and rolled back onto his back, when out of the corner of his eye he saw something move.

He turned his head in the direction of the campfire, which was about fifteen feet away from the sleeping group. His heart leapt for a second when he saw Katara, quietly stoking the fire with a stick, yawning slightly and settling back down for night watch. The boy smiled softly to himself, his body going warm with thoughts of the Water Tribe girl. She looked beautiful at night- not like she didn't in the daytime, but there was something about how the way the moonlight played across her face that made her exceptional during the dark hours. Aang suddenly blushed when she glanced over in his direction, but to his great relief she smiled and went back to her work.

He felt like just laying back down and falling back asleep, but the remnants of his dreams still haunted him, and he discovered that he was shivering from the cold. He thought this a great excuse, as he bended the air around him to lift himself up and found himself walking over to the campfire. He sat across her, the fire between them, "Hey Katara."

She smiled warmly at him, and Aang discovered that the smile seemed to warm him more than the fire did.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

Aang was silent for a moment, and finally shook his head, "No…Just thought you'd like some company."

She smiled again, making Aang twitch slightly, "That's sweet of you, Aang."

They sat in mutual silence, either staring at the fire or at the stars. Aang, at first, thought the quiet a little awkward, but after a few minutes of studying the girl, he soon realized how much he enjoyed her presence, and how comforting it was. The last remnants of his dream still haunted him, but soon they were overpowered by her warmth. He nearly forgot about the nightmares, as the quiet took over him. He wasn't dozing- it was the closest you could come to it, though.

"What did you dream about?"

He was brought back to reality by Katara's voice; he glanced at her for a minute, "Nothing. Just a stupid dream."

She cocked her head slightly, "Well, it must have been more than _nothing_, or else you wouldn't be here right now."

Aang glanced over at her; the way she read him was almost amazing sometimes. He wished he could confide in her all of the fears his dream had left behind with him. He wanted to tell her everything; how scared and unsure he was about himself and the future. He wanted her to know every little thing he thought right now. But he didn't tell her. He didn't think he ever could. Katara and Sokka always had heralded him as such a powerful air bender and Avatar. In truth, he didn't want to dampen their image of him, and make them think he was just a scared little boy. Even _he _didn't like to admit it.

_I'm just a kid_ he would always find himself thinking. It wasn't fair; none of it. Why did _he_ have to be the only one to save the world? He had a set amount of time to learn how to master all the elements, but there was no one to teach him how to be the Anchor between the human and spirit world. No one to teach him how to resolve conflicts that involved the lives of people; conflicts that Bending couldn't fix. It was just so unfair!

Sometimes he wished he was still back in the iceberg; still asleep after a hundred years, and no chance of ever waking up again. He recalled the sleep too- so deep and serene, the kind you never want to wake up from, the kind that is so comforting and calming you wish you could keep your eyes closed forever…

But then he remembered what it was like when he woke up- opening his eyes to the most beautiful thing he had ever seen before, her arms wrapped tightly and warmly around him- warmer that any fire or light could ever be. He remembered her smiling at him so softly, her face lighting up brighter than the sun, but with a dark beauty almost like that of the moon. She was as amazing as the moon. And Aang knew he wouldn't give his freedom from being the Avatar if it had meant not ever meeting Katara and waking up from a century in her arms.

He looked at her now and smiled, "Don't worry about it Katara."

Katara stoked the flame with a stick, and looked up to say something to Aang when she suddenly stopped. Across from her the Avatar sat with a small smile on his face, tears pouring down from his gray-steel eyes. She held her breath, concern written all over her face, "Aang!" she whispered, "What's wrong..?"

He sniffed, but the tears kept coming, although his smile never faltered. Katara felt her heart wrench in two- she'd never seen Aang so broken-looking before. He was always so optimistic and strong- there were very few times he'd actually broken down and looked sad- she didn't think she's ever seen him cry before. She didn't dare move, "Aang, please, tell me what wrong…"

His voice came out as barely a whisper, cracking slightly as he fought to keep from sobbing, "Don't worry Katara…I'm ok…"

They were silent for a long time, sound coming only from the crackling fire and the sound of distant water. When nothing happened and the tears didn't stop, Katara stood solemnly and walked right over to the Avatar. He looked up at her eyes glinting in the light, and she sat down on her knees in front of him, her eyes on the same level as his. He stared at her for a long time, neither of them speaking. Aang felt like her beautiful azure eyes were staring into his soul, staring right into his core, and she was suddenly filled with all the knowledge and worries he hadn't told the others. He felt himself crumble underneath those eyes. With a slight catch in his gasp, he lunged forward and seized Katara around the waist, crying into her chest, tears staining the white fur of her longcoat. She slowly wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her face into the side of his smooth neck, smelling strangely of the Earth. It was comforting. She felt tears brimming in her own eyes, and grabbed onto Aang tightly as his cries were muffled by her coat's fur. She'd never seen him so broken. She wished she could use her healing abilities to cover whatever wound was causing him so much pain- but she didn't think her power worked on souls. Whatever was hurting Aang so much was deeper than any physical wound she could ever fathom. But she wanted to try. She wanted to try and understand- but Aang was the only one who could decide that. She lifted her head and rubbed her cheek against his, whispering into his ear.

"_You're not alone…"_

She pulled back from him and took his face in her hands; her olive-tone contrasted beautifully with the milky white of his face. She smiled at him, her azure eyes brimming with moon-lit tears, "You're not alone…" she repeated to him, now slightly above a whisper.

His eyes were red from crying so much now, but his steel eyes were wildly lit. They stared into each other for a long time, until Aang finally wiped his own tears and face. He reached up and put his hand on her cheek, bending the water of her un-fallen tears and tossing them into the fire.

"Don't cry Katara," he said, rising up so he could take her fully in his arms.

She wrapped around him, resting her cheek against his lean chest, "I can't help it," she whispered, closing her eyes, "whenever I see you cry…"

He pulled slightly away from her, looking down at her with a warm smile, "Get some sleep Katara. I'll keep watch the rest of the night."

She looked up at him and wiped her face. She made to stand, but suddenly stopped, as if reconsidering getting back up. Then, with a small voice she asked, "…Can I stay with you Aang?"

He looked at her, his face filled with some emotion she couldn't quite put her finger on. Aang now stared at her with some feeling he didn't know, for two people so innocent could not understand their body's way of saying that they cared for each other. Aang had been born a monk, and had not been allowed interaction with girls, therefore he was lacking in the knowledge of how to realize any kind of impure thought. But, if he was capable of understanding, he could have kissed Katara now, and fully taken in her soft lips that he could only dream about. But, that was if his body had had any kind of impure thought. Soon the feeling passed, and he smiled at the water bender, "Sure Katara."

They sat by the fire, the young girl curled up against the air bender, snuggling against the side of his neck that smelled like the Earth. Aang rested his cheek against the top of her head, and suddenly found himself talking, about what, he didn't quite know.

"You don't have to cry Katara, because I won't anymore. Someday, this world will be beautiful again. And that always gives me hope. Even though it destroys, with fire always comes Life. You'll see, someday Katara. When that day comes, I'll even take you through the sky, and just maybe through the stars."

Sleep's clutches were taking hold of her, but Katara managed to say, "..You've been through the stars..?"

He smiled, "Of course. That's why I'm taking you."

They sat there, underneath a sky that could never be understood, nor reached no matter how high you jumped. They sat under the gaze of the Moon, who had guided them for so long now, though they hadn't realized it yet. The Last air bender, cradling an older water tribe girl, whose destinies were solemnly intertwined. Soon, daylight would come, and they would continue on their journey with no consequence. It would be the next day that Aang would finally realize who the golden creature in his dream was.


	2. Healer Hands

A/N: **Slight AU. I'll rate this a little higher for gory violence. It's not too bad, though.**

Healer's Hands

"Quick, get him to the healers!"

Four soldiers of the Northern Water Tribe were carrying the body of a boy, blood trailing behind them on the icy streets. The cacophonous explosions that had filled the air earlier had now stopped with the onslaught of night. The Fire Nation had retreated back to about one hundred yards from the city, awaiting the light of day to continue their attack. People began to follow the soldiers carrying the boy, hurrying them to the healing houses. Once there they practically threw the bleeding body onto the table, drawing back as the Elder Healer pushed her way through the maddening crowd,

"Out of my way!" the old woman shrieked, running to the table and shoving a soldier aside. The room was packed with bystanders, silently watching with varying amounts of fear and angst on their faces. The tension was palpable, as people of all kinds had congregated to the Healing House- men, woman, and children all with crying faces. All looked grave and frightened. They whispered names and sentences, as Sokka, Katara and Yue entered the House, weaving between the people. Katara could make out a few words of what they were whispering, "dead", "shot-down", "Avatar". She and the others had followed the crowds throughout the streets, partly to see what was going on, and partly because they were trying to find Aang, who had disappeared to fight when the Fire Nation had attacked. They hadn't seen him in hours, and Katara was getting anxious and worried for him; the Fire Nation was ruthless, and she wanted to know if he was safe and OK.

They room suddenly became eerily quiet; all talking and whispering had ceased as the Healer began her work, the body on the table glowing slightly. Katara stood up on her toes to see what was going on, and if she knew the body lying on the table. When she couldn't see, she looked to her older brother, "Sokka!" she whispered, "Who is it?" He rose up on his own toes and looked around over the adult's heads. His face, however, went stark white immediately, and his eyes grew wide. Katara's blood began to pump, and her heart beat faster, "What? What is it?"

He didn't have to say a word, though. She could read it in his face, and in his eyes when he slowly craned his head to look into her face. Panic seized her at once, and she clapped her hand over her mouth.

"Aang!"

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

White hot, searing pain. That's all that the young boy felt when the fire-lit mass had struck his body full on, and he had plunged from the sky onto the Fire Nation ship. Appa had barely had time to sweep him up before the soldier's had probably killed him. He had remembered thinking how stupid his mistake had been, how he had been careless and slipped up. He remembered feeling as if all of his insides were pouring out of him, stopped only by crude, burned flesh that had created a dam, in which only blood could be seen leaking out. He remembered opening his eyes, only to be halted by searing pain across his face, and in the nano-second that he had opened his lids, he recalled that he could see nothing- that he was blind from the white-hot fire that had consumed him. He had thought it sad that he wouldn't ever be able to see again; that he could never see the sky that had always played mother to him, how he's never be able to see Appa's grinning face at him, waking him and greeting him in the morning. He thought it particularly sad, though, that he'd never be able to see the face of beauty again….

Just when he felt his sad life begin to slip away in the rivers of blood that left his body, he thought back to that very face….

Katara had been magnificent, ever since the beginning. She was a loyal, caring, powerful bender, who had taught him many things along their journey, and not just about the element Water, either. She had taught him maturity, and responsibility. She had taught him how to discard apathy and fear, and meet challenges head on with getting frightened and running from them. She had taught him how beautiful life can be, and that if he ever doubted anything, that all he had to do was look up at his mother-figure, and know that for something so amazing to be just sitting there, right above there heads, that there _had_ to be something out there to hope for. He loved Katara for that. Sometimes it was like she knew his own element better than he did….

_I'll miss her…._ He thought as his life slept from him. _I'll never forget waking up to that face. If only I could do it again…_

He knew he wouldn't make it. At least he could be free from this horrible pain that was engulfing him. Even now he could feel it abate more as his mind slipped deeper and deeper into dead-end unconsciousness. How beautiful life had been. The soldiers were now carrying him throughout the Northern City streets, but it didn't matter. He felt them slam his body on the table. There was an almost content look on his face as he slipped further away from them. And then he heard her.

"_AANG!"_

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Katara shoved her way violently to the healing table, tears blurring her vision as the charred body on the ice slab was recognized as Aang. She felt like her mind had snapped in half when her eyes scanned over him- he looked like an unrecognizable mound of flesh. The Healer was running water over him, glowing in a soft light, but it seemed effortless. He wasn't getting better.

"Stop, get out!" she screamed at the old woman, not caring at the appalled look she received from the Elder. It felt like she was just making it worse. But Katara didn't care. She wasn't going to be able to heal Aang. So, she was just going to have to try herself.

Her hands shook violently as they fumbled around her water canteen, the one she had used so many times before. She felt like it was right. But, then again, she had little to go off of but her gut right now.

Everyone cleared as she began to bend the water around and over Aang, using her healing power with the flow of the water to wash and spill over Aang, her tears mixing in with the water of her canteen. A soft blue glow consumed them both, but nothing was helping. She felt him slip deeper and deeper.

"Please Aang…" she whispered, "Don't leave us like this…Not this way….you're too strong to go down these easily…Please Aang, wake up…"

Her tears began falling more steadily now, and she concentrated harder, and she felt her body begin to ache. But she didn't care. She pushed harder, pushed her body to its limit and the glow intensified greatly- the whole room became filled with its light. People held their breath as the girl started to become one with the Avatar- the display of power marveled even the Elder Healer. Katara saw Aang twitch slightly, and his body moved just slightly- he was starting to wake up, starting to fight off death. Katara's tears flowed down onto him,

"Please Aang…Don't leave us…"

_Don't leave me._

_I can't lose you now._

There was a sudden jolt, and Aang's arrow began to glow- wind wiped in to the room and billowed around them in a terrible, cacophonous blast- a child screamed, but all of the adults were silent. They knew this display of power. The glow of the healing wisped around them, caught with the current of the air, and the entire section of the city glowed aqua blue. Katara placed her hands directly onto the Avatar's chest, and his glowing eyes flew open.

In a shuddering halt, the wind and glowing disappeared, settled thickly over the heads of the crowd. There was dead silence; even the frightened children were quiet and watching with tense faces. When Katara opened her eyes she saw Aang lying on the table, seemingly asleep- his body was completely bereft of any kind of wound or blemish. If he had been severely hurt, it would have been news to anyone who had not just seen the previous display. For a half-second, Katara felt her heart stop pumping- he looked like he was dead. And then, his fingers twitched and he moaned softly- the room suddenly burst with cheers and cries. The bystanders embraced and held each other as relief washed over them all.

The Avatar was alive.

Katara burst with tears and laughter, leaning down and gathering the boy in her arms, embracing him tightly- she knew she need not be ginger with him as he had no more injuries. She cried and gazed down at his sleeping face, and his lids slowly began to creep up.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXx

He had been brought out from the darkness into a light he couldn't ever fathom. It was just like when he had been encased in the glacier for a hundred years- black for so long, then slowly light engulfed him. He felt wrapped up by warm arms and heard the distant sound of cheers. He felt tears drip softly onto his shoulder. He wanted to see with his new eyes- for some reason, he knew he could see again. He wanted to see her again. He didn't know how soon he would get his wish.

Just like when he awoke from the glacier he awoke now in the arms of the girl he loved. He opened his eyes to sheer beauty and kindness, holding him tightly and crying his name. A soft smile played across his face as he felt tears well up at the very sight. He had got what he wanted. He had gotten to see Katara again. He wished he had the strength to reach up and touch her face, but he knew he was pressed for time. He couldn't fight the Fire Nation on his own, and he had to seek the Spirit's help. So, he favored her with his slight loving smile, with eyes that told of great love and gratitude, before opening his mouth and quietly whispering, "I've got to get to the Spirit World."

He knew by her look that she loved him too.


	3. Realize

**A/N: Short little drabble, from Katara's POV, set in the last episode.**

**Realize**

I'll never forget that day when Aang became the Ocean Spirit. The day had been muddled with fighting and explosions and fear of the great Fire Nation who was slowly driving upon the city. I remembered how Aang's face looked when the Moon Spirit had been ripped unceremoniously from the mortal world, how it floated on the desolate water of the Sacred Place. His determination was…exhilarating. Frightening. And almost…hypnotic. I'll never forget that face.

I remembered when his eyes and his arrow lit up- how my heart pumped whenever his Avatar spirit was manifesting itself. It always got me excited- I think his sheer power simply flows through my body. But I also was scared- scared of what he would do. He can be terrifying when he's angry. Though, I can usually calm him, I didn't think this time I had much of a chance. I was also scared for his safety. The Spirits can be ruthless at times, and I didn't know what damage it might do to him. I simply held my breath and prayed as he stepped into the water, his arms assuming the familiar meditative position.

Then he merged into one with the Ocean Spirit. I can remember the beauty and terror of it all. I remember watching him in the great body of the Ocean and reign its fury upon the Fire Nation, my heart swelling with unknown emotion.

The moment I saw him disappear into the pond and engulfed by its holy water, I knew that I loved him.


End file.
